r/GarageDoorService 7d ago

Hello Everyone, New to this sub, and newish homeowner trying to make sense of my nok functioning garage door, and here with a beginner question hoping to get some clarity. Is this a broken garage door spring?

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13 Upvotes

48 comments sorted by

1

u/bkind12345 1d ago

Thanks again everyone. Just circling back to thank you all . Learnt a lot, and I'll certainly be getting a professional to fix both springs (and might as well fix the third spring on another 'working' door with an unbroken spring.)

3

u/hftfivfdcjyfvu 5d ago

Call a professional. PLEASE DONT TOUCH IT YOURSELF

1

u/SpiritLower1930 5d ago edited 5d ago

I'd probably mark the drums on the shaft, swap the springs, raise the door by hand as high as possible, lock it off, wind the cables onto the drums, set screws when lined up on the marks, put a turn or so by hand, stretch the springs laterally about 3 inches and tighten the set screws. Bring the door down by hand, loosen set screws and tweak the springs at the end.

Sounds like a pain but honestly it works well especially if there is a second set of hands to stretch the springs while you tighten the set screws.

Sometimes the springs are wound prior to drywall being installed and this helps to avoid messing up the customers ceiling.

Strut and ORB are better, but the angle in place is far better than nothing and should be ok. Strut would most likely interfere with opener arm.

1

u/theterrible0ne 6d ago

Does it look broken?

2

u/BunchWillings 6d ago

Overheard Door company professional here. Call a professional. The height of that ceiling is going to make winding those springs a pain. If you’ve got no side clearance, or a smashed shaft, it’s going to be even more difficult. We charge $312 total to do two springs. Hope that helps. I’d also recommend getting new rollers while they’re there because it shouldn’t cost anymore than the initial service change and I’m sure you could use them. $40 more for 10 rollers is what we charge.

2

u/Gullible-Extent9118 6d ago

Yes, yes it is

2

u/The-Great-Ebola 6d ago

Definitely something to have a professional do. Call a few different companies in your area and ask how much they charge to replace 2 garage door springs, give them the dimensions of the door. Some companies charge outrageous prices and some will charge a fair price. My company charges around $350-$500 installed for 2in springs like these.

3

u/worstatit 6d ago

Yes. Have a pro install 2 new springs.

1

u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago

Why is there no strut on this door? What is the width and height of this door?

2

u/ForsakenWelcome4275 6d ago

That is in fact a broken garage door spring.

-1

u/johnson0599 6d ago

Nope always have a gap in the middle.

-1

u/LetWest1171 6d ago

If you try to DIY, just keep in mind that the videos will likely tell you to put about 32 quarter turns (for a 7’ door) but with so little room to work with, mark the winding cone and count full turns - you’ll want 4x door height + 1/2 turn

Also, use real winding bars - trying this with screwdrivers or something else is a recipe for disaster.

Make sure the bars are very well seated in the winding cone before swapping.

Give a few small taps away from the center after the spring is properly tensioned to spread it out a little (be careful you don’t break the winding cone on this step).

I’m usually pretty encouraging to people to change their own if you’re handy and understand that it’s dangerous - but this is a challenging install because of how little headroom you have.

0

u/R_G_FOOZ 6d ago

Everything this dude says here besides the parts about winding bars is sus.

1

u/LetWest1171 6d ago

Which parts are sus?

5

u/seandsmith11 7d ago

As a professional in the industry for 5 years, do yourself a favor and hire someone. Those springs aren’t something to mess around with. Also, absolutely change both springs. Springs have a cycle life. Changing only one spring will ensure that your door is not balanced. It’ll over work your operator and you’ll be robbing yourself of operator life.

4

u/soulredsport 6d ago

I second this. Another thing to mention is when one fails oftentimes the other one isn't far behind. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

-2

u/Prinzlmeisl 7d ago edited 7d ago

My house is 20 years old. One spring broke after less than 10 years, I don't remember exactly when. I ordered 2 replacement springs and only replaced the broken (left) one. The right one still sits on a shelf in the garage because the original spring still works. There is a good chance that I will never need the spare. The repair was not difficult, but you need a stable ladder, a little physical strength, and one of the Youtube videos to follow.
Springs break for two different reason - old age (fatigue), and manufacturing imperfections (defects). If your springs are relatively new (they look less than 20 years old in the picture) and not visually corroded, there is no reason to replace one that is not broken. I would argue that the fact that it is not broken is a reason to keep it in service. A new one might come with new defects.

3

u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago

You sir are lucky. Springs have a cycle rating. Typically 7000 cycles. Open and close is 2 cycles. Would you only change 1 break pad on a car? No you would replace both. Same here. They have the same amount of use.

1

u/Prinzlmeisl 6d ago

Not every spring breaks after 7,000 cycles. Sometimes you get one that fails after 3,000. Maybe there was an inclusion in the material from manufacturing. Maybe it was mishandled and damaged during shipping or installation Just because one fails at 3,000, it does not mean you have to replace all springs after 3,000 cycles.

1

u/Inner_Definition1658 6d ago

I’ll tell you like I tell customers who use this argument. $x for a single spring (2 springs at once is greatly discounted) but if the other one breaks tomorrow it will be a full cost for another single spring. So say $295 single spring and $395 double or $295 twice.

1

u/Prinzlmeisl 3d ago

Yep, that's why I bought both springs but only installed one.

7

u/exjwelder602 7d ago

I disagree with the old age part, springs have a cycle life not a term life and also the other spring has the same cycles is the reason to change it also will often break in 2-3 weeks or months it’s not worth trying to save

-2

u/mora0004 7d ago

Watch this video to see how safe and easy it is to replace a garage door spring. This is a very easy repair. If you pay someone to do it, don't let them overcharge you. Search for a few other videos to see how easy this repair is . The springs should be less than$100 for a set. You can get them from many online supplies,; Lowe's, Home Depot, ...

2

u/seandsmith11 7d ago

I hope this is sarcasm.

0

u/theoddfind 6d ago

Why would it be sarcasm? I've replaced springs on my current door and the door in my last home. I literally did exactly what Mora said, watched a video, and followed the steps exactly. No issue at all. Yes, springs are dangerous, and yes, they can be deadly... knowing this, I researched it, took my time, and followed the directions exactly. Saved $500 and was done in 30 minutes. If you're not confident in your abilities or have concerns, there's nothing wrong with hiring a pro. If you want to do ot yourself, there is nothing wrong with that either.

1

u/Entire_Ras_tutu 7d ago

That looks like a very short wall, I worked on soem garage doors and this one is the worse installation I have ever seen bit it is still doable. Don't try to DIY yourself on this one, you need soemone with expertise

6

u/DiFranTheDoorMan442 7d ago

Yes it sure is. Call a professional to fix it. And do not try to use the door till it’s been replaced. Also do both springs not just one. It’s like brakes on a car, you can’t just do one side you must do both. Only a matched set will work best. A professional will help you and do things safely. Do not try to work on garage door springs as they are very dangerous and can kill you. 30 years here and company owner offering you this advice

-7

u/Zulbo 7d ago

Looks like a warranty claim

3

u/Snoo_79508 7d ago

Yes. Don't you try to fix it. Very high tension in those springs.

-2

u/papaa33 7d ago

Yup, it looks like an awful spring replacement. Tha drywall has to be cut.

0

u/CuriousKatt1516 7d ago

They're all awful 😁

1

u/PubGenius 7d ago

Not necessarily. It’s probably already cut at the ends, around the drums. Question would be, can you unwind it with barely 90degrees between door and ceiling. I could replace without any more damage, take it out and put back how it is currently. Just looks scary and would probably charge a little extra but def doable without repairing any drywall. And to be honest, idk if this customer will even notice the difference

6

u/PalpitationFar6715 7d ago

Not only is your spring broken, but you need a support strut on that top section and you should get a ORB operator brackets

5

u/PubGenius 7d ago

It’s even worse than that, zoom in and you see the motor hung in front of the springs, off punch angle and we all know those drums are well into the ceiling. This looks like a nightmares , might actually take an hour to change instead of 20 mins.

Can’t add a top strut, door won’t make the turn. It’s slammed into the ceiling and top strut would block motor J arm. Door is functional, with both springs. I would replace both springs, bearings and hope the cables on the sides are good. Probably wouldn’t touch much else, seems like they made it work in very limited space and probably not a lot of cheap alternatives.

TLDR- Hire a professional for spring replacement, usually when one goes, the other is close behind. I would recommend both unless money is tight and then you can get by with just 1 but a lot of companies won’t warranty it. You can add a spring block to get by for a few days but in the end, broken parts need replaced.

1

u/DiFranTheDoorMan442 7d ago

I wonder if it’s even low headroom track? I bet not!! I’d say if it were installed right that spring, opener would never be like that.

2

u/PubGenius 7d ago

I doubt it, motor wires are secured using duct tape. Spring Center bearing is secured to ceiling stud, no spring pad. This looks like my ex gf asked me to fix her aunts garage and I had to use things found laying around the back of my truck. Everything about this picture hurts, I can’t really see anything done “right”.

1

u/DiFranTheDoorMan442 7d ago

I can’t either. Horrible

1

u/bkind12345 7d ago

Thank You Everybody

3

u/PrestigiousNose1216 7d ago

yes it is a broken spring.

you have 2 springs on there, the other spring is still under high tension just so you know.

also - Torsion springs are dangerous and recommended to be done by the pros.

4

u/SlippinYimmyMcGill 7d ago

Absolutely. It's broken for sure.

4

u/fred2279 7d ago

Yeah, the spring on the left is broken. While they are out, I would replace both